What is the worst sleeping posture?
As a Chiropractor in Caledonia, I constantly teach patients about the best, and worst sleeping postures for their back and neck health. This will not only help them get rid of their neck pain and back pain, but can also help them get the momentum in their body’s favour by increasing their sleep quality and the improving the spine and nerve systems natural ability to be healthy! Read more to learn what is the worst sleeping posture!
How should my head and neck be when sleeping on my side or back?
The question about how to best sleep is also discussed below. Keep reading to learn about how your neck and back should be when sleeping on your side or back.
Check out this video by Dr. Callum Peever to hear how he answers these questions to the CDI College students, or read the transcript below. The answers are highlighted.
Transcript from the video on sleep postures
Continued from CDI college presentation 2014
What is the worst posture to sleep in?
On your belly.
Why?
Your back is extended and you do put pressure on your joints. Also, your neck is twisted the entire time you sleep. Everyone turn your head right now and try to hold it there. Your going to notice that it doesn’t feel very good. Imagine doing that for 8 hours.
Remember that brain which has wires coming out through the spine? Guess where those wires (the spinal cord) attaches. That spinal cord attaches at the base of the skull and at the base of the pelvis. Everywhere else it floats. If we take that wire and twist it we will have more tension build up through that wire. When you twist an elastic up it builds up potential energy to the point it is ready to snap. That is the same thing that people do when they sleep on their stomach – the stress that entire spinal cord out. That is not good. Every time that I drop this marker, gravity will pull it down. It is a universal law. Every time you keep pressure on the spinal cord it is not going to work as well.
Who sleeps on their side? How do you keep your head when you are sleeping on your side?
Ideally you want your posture to be like how you are standing when you are sleeping. Symmetrical. If you are on your side you ideally want your head in a position that prevents it from twisting sideways. Also, you can have a pillow between your knees so that your legs don’t crowbar your pelvis and put unnecessary strain on your sacroiliac joints.
Who sleeps on your back?
You want to support the head and neck so that you are not over bending the neck. Remember, you want it to be like you are standing up. In hospital bed they will even bend the knees slightly. You can put a pillow beneath the knees at home.
How do we get out of bed ourselves? Do we do a sit up everyday? No. We turn. To get out of bed ourselves we turn and let our bodies’ counterweight us up. First step is you are going to roll onto your side. Then knees off the bed. The legs are now going to counterweight you and with some arm pressure you will roll up to a sitting position. That is how you should be getting out of bed in order to not put too much pressure on your back. I don’t want to hear about any of you doing sit ups first thing in the morning.
The same thing goes for getting into bed. Sit first. Then roll onto your side. Try to get your legs up and then roll onto your back.
Dr. Callum Peever – Chiropractor in Caledonia
Curious about your posture? or Having posture problems?
Want to read more on sleeping postures? Keep reading!
Sleeping on your stomach is not a good idea. It not only puts pressure on the joints in the neck, but also twists and strains the spinal cord and nerves. We always suggest to patients to stop sleeping on their stomachs, but we understand that it can be a habit and will take time to change (sometimes years).
Sleeping on your side or back is better, but you need to be in a relaxed posture with no stretching of the neck, back, legs, or arms. A proper pillow is a must with a thicker pillow for your side and a contoured one for back sleeping.
This takes effort and you need to work on it throughout your entire life, but it is worth it!
We can discuss with you your sleeping postures to ensure that you are creating the best situation for your body to rest possible.
Sleep, Insomnia, and Chiropractic
If you are having trouble sleeping at night, you are not alone. More than one-quarter of the U.S. population report they occasionally do not get enough sleep, while nearly 10% admit to experiencing chronic insomnia. In Canada, of those with sleeping difficulties, approximately 18% get less than five hours of sleep per night.
For some people, lack of sleep is self-induced. Working long hours, taking care of the kids and increased stress-load can lead to a restless night. Abuse of recreational drugs or alcohol, or too much caffeine may lead to less time spent in deep sleep at night.
If you find yourself experiencing sleep problems, your Chiropractor would like you to pay particuarly close attention because this could be detrimental to your health in a number of ways.
If lack of sleep is starting to affect your concentration, memory. or mood, you may have a sleeping problem. Chances are trhat it is just a case of nerves, or an inability to deal with life’s stress. But to be on the safe side make sure you see what may be causing your sleeping irregularities. Early detection and correction lead to the greatest odds for recovery. However, most sleep problems are related to other conditions or situations.
If you do not want to have to take pills to improve your sleep, make your next step an appointment with your Chiropractor.